Nintendo NX Features, Release: What We Know So Far

Information on Nintendo's newest "console" has been scant.  What is known so far is that it is codenamed: "NX", may come out 2016 or 2017 and that it may be more of a dedicated game system rather than a console.

While it neither sports an official name nor does it have any description, Tech Insider was able gather clues based on what Nintendo president Satoru Iwata mentioned during an investor presentation in March 2015. The president confirmed that "Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under development codename: 'NX'."

Tech Insider futher reports the idea behind the new console would be a new membership service spread accross Nintendo's current consoles like the Wii U and 3DS as well as new platforms like the NX, mobile devices and PC.

The strongest rumor to date, however, is that the NX could be a handheld and home console all-in-one.  If this is proven to be true, the NX would sport a portable gamed pad, similar to the 3DS, that you can play on the go.

As a complement to the portable/console hybrid, Tech Insider claims that NX's controller could be a combination of previous pads and could end up replacing both the Wii U and the 3DS.

Some game makers have reportedly been given access to the NX hardware and are working on making games for the system.  This rumor gained credence when Japanese game publisher, Square Enix, publicly announced that their next "Dragon Quest" game will support the NX platform.

Meanwhile a piece by Tech Radar hints that the NX might be revealed before the E3 (Electronic Enteratinment Expo) and with a possible launch by end of 2016. This is in line with Nintendo's expansion into smartphones, theme parks, movies and TV shows with the endgame of bringing in profits of 100 billion yen within "several years".

However, a detailed analysis from Forbes postulates that a 2016 release from the company is highly unlikely.  Forbes based this on Nintendo's previous releases where the console is announced in the summer of one year, where the public is given a glimpse of the hardware and software, then actual release would come a year and a half later.  

The announcement made by the company during the investor presentation last March 2015 shed no light on the console.  There was no hint of its hardware, software or even the mere concept behind the system.  What information reporters gathered was specualted from patents Nintendo filed.

The announcement was more likely made to allay investors' fears that Nintendo was not bowing out of the hardware business after the less-than-stellar reception of the Wii U.  

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Nintendo, Nintendo NX, Gaming Platform, Gaming Console, Nintendo NX rumors, Nintendo release, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS

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